Steep slopes, high stakes

July 11, 2003|BY KIRSTEN FREDRICKSON NEWS-REVIEW STAFF WRITER

Outside, the winds off Lake Michigan create a gentle breeze that helps cool the heat from the afternoon sun. Sounds of a woodpecker looking for food can be heard off in the distance, and the wings of a bald eagle taking flight slice through the air and command the eye's attention.

These sensations, sounds and sights of Northern Michigan's wildlife are what area residents love about living up North, and they're what Roy and Ronna York first witnessed 40 years ago when they began taking trips here.

And now, living along the bluffs of Northern Michigan's lakeshore, all they have to do is walk out their backdoor to breathe in the smells of Lake Michigan and surround themselves with the sights and sounds of nature.

"I've been dreaming about this all these years," said Ronna, standing on her deck that rises some 200 feet above the water. "There are a lot of us who are dreaming these same dreams about being up here on these slopes."

Advertisement

Ronna and Roy are not alone in their passion for the environment and stunning views that can be found along Michigan's Heritage Highway - a drive along the twists and turns of scenic M-119 reveals the host of new homes that have sprouted along the wilderness road.

But what's been creating a deeper love for the nature of the north has also created a debate that's been plaguing the region for at least three years.

As more people move north and build on and along the steep slopes that wrap the shoreline from Harbor Springs to Cross Village - some precariously perched on the bluff face - questions of safety and concerns over protecting the slopes are causing Emmet County officials to look at just how to protect what Ronna likes to call her "diamond in the rough."

Bluff homeowners vary on safety concerns

Standing along the shoreline, toes in the sand, it's nearly impossible amongst the trees to tell just where Roy and Ronna built their home two years ago.

But climb the 39 steps to walk a natural trail that runs south before climbing another 139 steps up the slope, and there it is. The York home, which sits on 14 steel pilings, towers above the steep terrain, looking as if it dangles over the bluff.

"We never thought about it (when we built it)," Ronna said. "We thought it might be tricky, but we never thought it was dangerous."

And they hold that same belief today.

Travel down the road from Roy and Ronna and other homes are built just like theirs, with homeowners feeling equally as secure. Driveways disappear over the edge of the western bank, leading to more homes down below.

But it's this type of building that Carolyn Sutherland, a bluff resident and local real estate agent, thought she would never see. She assumed, like many other area residents, that the steepest parts of the properties she was helping to sell would never be built upon.

"If we're worried about the piping plover and we're worried about the dunes, why aren't we worried about the bluffs? Do we want to create land where we never thought there was buildable land?" she questioned.

Sutherland is not alone in her concern, and when land some deemed "un-buildable" began supporting more homes and driveways, residents, environmentalists and local government officials got together three years ago and began talking.

Those concerned about the stability of the bluffs soon discovered there was no county ordinance to address these properties, that they were dealt with much like any other flat-land property found in Emmet County.

The real motivation for change began when sections of the bluff started sliding toward Lake Michigan, in one instance taking a portion of a multi-million-dollar home's porch with it.

Jack Angott, that home's owner, said the incident occurred because of a leaking water pipe, not the bluff's instability.

Angott, who bought his bluff-side home in 1992 and has completed several renovations since, said any engineer he's spoken with claims building along the bluff can be done, and it can be done without causing any damage.

The property slide at his land last summer has not given him any pause over safety, although he has added several steel retention walls - just in case.

"There is nothing wrong with this slope. My water pipe created a problem for me, but not for anyone else," he said, emphasizing that his house never moved. "With the right engineering, you can build anywhere."

That may be true, but those like Dorothy Heslip, who's bluffside home is more than 60 years old, question: What does the future hold for the bluff now that it's holding more homes?

"My heart aches for this area if something can't be done," she said.

Real estate prices: headed up or down?

While county officials and others are looking at an ordinance that would make it tougher to build on and along the bluffs (see related story), real estate agents are wondering what might happen to the property values along the stretch of scenic roadway.